Beyond Her Barricade
by Allifany06
Summary: Temperance is struggling to let anyone past the wall she has built around her heart. Will her own partner be able to find a way in? Feel free to review and throw in ideas.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own this show. Don't sue me.

It wasn't as if she had never been alone before. Every day of her existence was laced with the hollow feeling of seclusion. To her, the image that played in her mind was that of a lost child in the deep woods, where only the echo of her small voice penetrated the still air.

It was a comfort to her though, something to hold onto. As long as she was alone, there would be no heart ache. There would be no abandonment. However, through the last few years, she has let a couple people in past her barricade: Booth, Angela, and Sully.

Sully was gone. He left her heart sick and as she watched his boat sail away, her heart was reminded that she wasn't worth it to anyone. And then she turned to see her partner standing there. She had hoped he didn't notice the way her eyes widened as a result of her fluttering heart. When he draped his strong arm over her shoulders and squeezed her to his body for an instant, she felt a strange sense of warmth come alive in her.

Now she sits on her couch, sipping a cup of hot chocolate at three in the morning. It's the weekend, and she knows it doesn't matter if she is up late, but even if she wanted to, she could not sleep. Her empty apartment reminds her of the image of a lost child alone in the wilderness, and she opens her mouth to speak.

"Why is there no one to want me?"

Her words are lost in the silence, and she feels a couple of tears slide down her cheeks. "This is ridiculous…" She mutters as she stares at the cup of warm liquid. "Now I am talking to myself." She sucks in a deep breath trying to still her painful heart; to stop her tears.

There is a knock on her door. She freezes for a moment, wondering who would be up at this time of night. She sets the hot chocolate on her coffee table and stands, looking down at her crumpled blue cotton pajamas. Straightening her shirt slightly, and wiping the remnants of her tears, she pads to the door and quietly looks through the peep hole.

Instead of seeing a whole face, she sees one large familiar brown eye staring back at her. She knows those eyes…

She unlocks the dead bolt and opens the door, seeing her partner standing with two boxes of her favorite Thai food. She looks at him from head to toe, taking in his dark jeans, and fitted black t-shirt. She blinks a couple of times before she realizes she is staring.

"Booth…What are you…?"

He smiles, and she swallows hard.

"I thought you might be hungry." He says, holding up the boxes and giving her the infamous 'charm smile.'

He couldn't help but notice her comfortable attire, and her uncharacteristically messy pony tail. _She's never looked so beautiful._

"It's…Three in the morning." She says, moving aside so he can come in. "How did you know I was awake?"

He grins as he sets the food down next to her hot chocolate on the coffee table. "I didn't. I would have woke you." He says, turning to face her with his hands in his pockets.

_How does he always know when I need him the most?_

She drags her hands down the sides of her face, trying to erase the thought that came to her by surprise. She forces a small smile. "Have a seat. I will get some napkins." She says, and goes to retrieve them from the kitchen.

She watches him as he sits down, opening the boxes. Tearing off a few paper towels, she realizes he caught her stare. Their eyes lock for a moment, and then she looks away. She quickly returns to the couch, and sits down after handing him one of the towels.

"I would have thought you would have linen napkins." He jokes.

She looks at him briefly as she unwraps her chopsticks. "Why?" She asks, in that annoyingly innocent tone of voice she always gets when she doesn't get a joke.

He laughs, and the melodic but gravely sound causes goose bumps to rise on her arms. "Nevermind." He says, taking a bite of rice.

She shrugs and mixes some sauce in with the chicken. "So why are you really here?"

His body tenses for a moment. _Because I needed to see you…_

"I thought you could use a friend."


	2. Chapter 2

She eyes him curiously

She eyes him curiously.

"Bones…why did you stay? You could have had the vacation of a life time."

She quickly looks away to hide the tears that are rapidly forming in her eyes. "Why didn't _he _stay? Am I not worth it?"

_Is that what you really think? That you're not worth it?_

"Bones...How can you think that?" He says as he studies her downcast face. She is blinking fast and he can sense the pain she is feeling.

She squeezes her eyes shut causing a couple of tears to fall. "Can we not talk about this? The moral of the story is that there is no happy ending. I am not meant to be loved, and I am not meant to love. That is all there is to it, Booth. And I can sit around feeling sorry for myself, or I can live my life and be happy."

"Are you happy?"

He reaches out to her and places a hand on her shoulder. She tenses under his touch and her body begins to tremble.

"No." She whispers.

His hand slides down to the middle of her back and he rubs small circles. "It's okay to cry."

Like an explosion, she shoots up off the couch and stares down at him. "I have cried enough in my life time. I'm not doing it anymore. And I don't want your pity, Booth. You're my partner…stop prying into my personal life. It's none of your business."

He stands up and moves closer to her. "Bones, I…"

"Go." She orders, pointing to the door.

He moves toward the door in defeat and opens it. "I'm never going to stop being here for you."

She watches him leave and as soon as the door is closed, she sinks to the floor by her couch and buries her face in her hands, still refusing to let open the flood gates of tears.

Booth leans against her door, his hand resting on it as if reaching out to her.

_Stop running, Bones…Stop running…_

Six AM on Monday morning came far too soon for Temperance. She made quick work of readying herself, knowing she could no longer avoid the inevitable. Booth was going to be there, he was going to ask questions, and she was going to have to do her best to be civil. All she really wanted to do was keep avoiding him.

"Bones, I think this is one of the first days in a long time where we don't have a case."

She stops in her tracks at his voice as she enters her office. He is sitting in her chair, his feet propped up on her desk. In front of him are two cups of steaming coffee.

"Well I think I will go home then." She mutters, turning on her heel.

"Bones, wait…" He says, and stands up. He walks to the door, and shuts it. "Have coffee with me. We need to talk."

_Why won't you just leave me alone??_

She turns around, staring at her partner as he hands her a cup. "There's really nothing to talk about. Can't I just say I'm sorry for yelling at you, and move on?"

"No." He replies, sitting on her couch.

"Why not, Booth? It's clear that the best path for us to be on is to have a strictly professional relationship. Friendship is something you just can't have with your partner."

"Is that what this is about, Bones?" He looks up at her pained expression, and sighs.

_I thought you could use a friend…_His words came flooding back to him.

She simply nods, and leans against her desk. "I don't know Booth…We have dangerous jobs. What if you were to get shot? Or me for that matter?"

"That's a risk I am willing to take. I value you, Temperance!"

At the use of her given name, her expression softens.

He stands and moves closer to her. "Why do you have such a strong wall around your heart?"

She squirms under his intense gaze, and her heart thuds in her chest.

"And why are you pushing me away when just a week ago, we were fine?"

Her bottom lip begins to tremble and she finally meets his stare. "Do you want to know why I stayed?"

"Yes…" He urges, moving to stand just inches away from her.

She swallows hard. "Because of you."


End file.
